Connectors are known where one of a mating pair of multi-terminal electrical connectors is mounted on a rack panel, and the other of the mating pair is mounted on the end of a drawer. The connectors become mated when the drawer is inserted into the rack in a "blind" mating process. One such drawer connector is the METRIMATE Drawer Connector (trademark of AMP Incorporated, Harrisburg, Pa.). The plug connector half of the mating pair is mounted on the drawer by two shoulder screws providing a radial float mounting. Integrally molded guide pins on the mating end of the plug housing enter receiving recesses of the receptacle housing. Large tapered surfaces of the guide pins correct the alignment of the plug housing to the receptacle housing prior to mating of the plurality of male and female electrical terminals into electrical engagement with each other. Alignment by the guide pins is possible because of the radial float mounting of the plug permitting lateral movement along the drawer end panel. The two one-piece housings are polarized and are made of durable glass-filled thermoplastic material. The male and female contact terminals of the product are size 16 pin and socket types having an insertion force of approximately up to 2 lbs. per mated pair. For a connector having twenty-five circuits or pairs the total contact mating force due to resistance to insertion would be up to 50 lbs.
It would be desirable to provide a drawer connector having a substantially reduced contact insertion force.
It would also be desirable to provide a drawer connector having a high durability under repeated blind mating conditions.
It would be further desirable to provide a drawer connector having one-piece molded housings providing a built-in capability of increasing the contact force of terminal pairs after precise alignment and mechanical mating of the connector halves and respective contact pairs, which contact force provides electrical mating of the connector halves.
It would be even further desirable to provide an improved float mounting means for a drawer connector.